Kamaitachi
by Shiro Long Tails
Summary: After two recent disasters, people are desperately trying to rebuild their lives. The current problem is so great in fact, that the deaths of soldiers receive lesser attention than expected. continuation of 'Inugami'. DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
1. Prologue

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"Is that the last one?"

"Yeah."

"Right, load 'em onto the truck."

_Hiss_

The two men turned, but saw nothing.

"Wh-what was that?"

"Probably a cat."

_Hiss_

"There it is again!"

"Bah, never mind it. Let's go!"

"Right sir."

"They have to be there latest by noon. Hurry up!"

.

_Hiss_

They turned, and saw nothing again.

"Pesky little…" He sighed, and turned towards his colleague. "Alright. Let's g-"

The other man blinked, astonished. His boss was standing still, face frozen; and he wasn't finishing his sentence.

"Um… Boss?"

His boss fell forward, and landed face down. Crimson blood flowed from his neck, growing into a small pool on the ground.

The living man gasped, and started shaking in fear. He ran to the truck and grabbed his bayonet. He gulped. "Wh-whoever's there, show yourself!"

.

"I'm armed!"

.

"…Hello?"

_Hiss_

He turned. It came from behind him.

.

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A flurry of claws.

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**A/N:** I'm at it again! Continuation of my first Mononoke fic, 'Inugami'. This time, it's another demon. There seems to be a sudden burst of Mononoke continuation fics... Odd. Anyway, the chapters are really short, because I don't really have time to right anymore. Quality over quantity when it comes to fics right? Haha~


	2. Rice

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The girl ran across the street, not paying heed to the government vehicles.

"Oi!"

"Watch it!"

She paid no heed, and continued to run, clutching the basket wrapped in paper to her chest. She was dressed plainly; just a blouse and pants. And worn out shoes. She ran to a half-destroyed building, where a little boy was seated on the floor, shivering.

"I'm back, Hibiki." The girl said, and the skinny boy looked up.

"…Hello Onee-chan." He smiled feebly.

She put the basket on the floor and began to unwrap it. "I managed to get some food. It's not much but…" She smoothed the paper on the floor and placed small rations of rice on them. "It should be able to last us for two weeks." Hibiki didn't say anything. He just smiled. Her lips twitched, but she didn't smile back.

The moment of shock was brief, extreme heat and the feeling of eminent danger was all she could remember before she opened her eyes to the sight of the burned corpses of her parents. She had felt pain on her back, but she didn't really care about it upon realizing that her attempt to shield her brother was successful, except for his left arm.

She shook her head, trying to forget all that as she pushed the sheet of paper towards her brother. "Go on." She murmured, as if speaking to a baby. "Eat. You need it." Hibiki just stared at the rice, and looked up at his sister's soot-covered face.

"W-what about you, Honoka-nee?"

"I will eat too."

Hibiki reached with his right hand to pick up some grains of rice, and he put them against his lips. He chewed quietly and looked up at his sister to make sure she was eating. Instead, she was staring at his left arm. "Your arm's gotten worse, Hibiki."

"Huh?"

"It looks swollen."

"But it doesn't hurt so much."

"We need to find medicine for your arm."

"And for your back too. Hey, why aren't you eating?"

Honoka sighed and picked up some grains of rice. As she chewed, she thought grimly about what might happen to her and her brother. Would they die here, homeless, hungry and orphaned? Or will their burns get infected and claim their lives first?

She frowned and swallowed. She turned to her brother, who was staring at her again. "Are you full, Onee-chan?"

"Yes."

"But you ate so little…"

"I'm fine, I'm full." Honoka made a weird face and patted her stomach, and Hibiki laughed. Honoka laughed too. It was a long time since they last laughed, and it felt good.

--

"First the bombing. Then the typhoon. And now, soldiers are dying one by one. What next?"

"How are they dying, Iida?"

"Damn, you're slow. Several cuts to the neck and feet, and they die 'cause of excessive bleeding or something like that."

"Huh? But who-"

"How the hell should we know, huh?"

The two men were soldiers. They were angered by the surrender, and they were now in their hometown, Hiroshima, which was practically destroyed by the bomb. But they couldn't do anything now, can they?

"Hey, what if we get cut next-" He was interrupted by a hard blow to his helmet.

"Nothing will happen to us, you fool! That was just silly rumor, d'you understand?"

"I think I do."

"Good."

Seeing a flash of colour, Iida turned, and he raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell… Look at that, Koizumi."

Koizumi turned, and was stunned. Who would want to wear a brightly-coloured kimono _now_, of all times?

"Oi, you!" Iida shouted, waving his bayonet. "Don't you have any idea what happened here?"

The figure turned. A purple scarf adorned his pale head, his face had markings or tattoos of another nature, and the curved purple line on his upper-lip was curved upwards at the sides, giving the illusion that he was smiling. A lock of his long hair was tied up.

"You still dare to walk around dressed like that? Don't you have any respect?"

The young man continued to stare at them both; he then turned and walked off, saying nothing.

"Oi! Are you listening to me?"

The dog behind the man barked three times at him, as if telling him to shut up and mind his own business.

Iida reclined, irritated. Koizumi chuckled, and slapped him on the back. "Even the dog's angry at you."

"Speaking of it, where'd it come from?"

"Huh?"

"It wasn't there just now. It's like it appeared from nowhere or something."

"Now who's the crazy one now, eh, Iida?"

Iida frowned and shook his fist at the brightly-coloured man and the dog (which had gone).

"Damn freaks."

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**A/N:** Tada~ For those of you who read the first one, you should have an idea of why a dog's doing here. :3 Ho, anyway, I might take a long time to finish the third chapter, as I have the Block now. ^^;;;


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